I started my preparation quite early. I took my CAT in November 2010, but had started preparation in July 2009. I had joined a coaching institute and was regular in attending classes and doing homework. Before every class I would brush up with concepts. Everyday I would put in approximately an hour or two till the august of 2010, but from then till the CAT I would put in 4 to 5 hours.

Time management wasn’t a difficult task for me as being an engineer from Mumbai university I could dedicate enough time to CAT preparation.

The materials that I used were the notes and assignment books given to me by coaching classes. My quant basics were weak so I practiced problems from Arun Sharma books for CAT which helped me in strengthening them.

After the CAT results were out, I had to prepare for GD/PI for which I had joined another coaching institute. Here they organized knowledge sessions where there were lectures on various current topics and frequently asked questions in PIs. During their GD workshops you are able to have discussions with a varied group of students from different parts of the city, which was a very important source of preparation for me. But these things should be worried about only once you have faired well at your entrance exams and receive calls.

Advice to juniors

The necessity of a coaching class will vary from person to person, but in my case being in a coaching class helped me stay organized and study on a regular basis which may not be possible for many of us as we always need a little push. Besides that taking test series is quite important because it provides you with a lot of practice, which is the key to cracking entrance exams.

Experience in MBA Institute

Campus:

The stone architecture on the huge campus is very well complemented with the greenery. There are old hostel blocks which are much better than the ones at IITs as far as I've heard from my peers. The new hostel blocks are just the enhanced versions of the old ones, hence they do have a better infra with more space. Hostel rooms are allocated on a lottery basis.

Crowd:

Crowd is extremely diverse though a lot of them are from the south. There is a lot one can learn from the people here as each one is from such a different background from you.

Average age is around 24 years.

Campus life is a whole new experience for me, and in a good way. Everything in the college is ridiculously organised and follows a strictly timed schedule. It is a self sufficient campus having everything from a 20 hour mess, to a store catering to your daily needs, an on campus doctor, to a laundry. So life is pretty comfortable.

Faculty:

While studying at one of the best institutes of the country an amazing faculty is a given. Visiting faculty is equally good. IIM Bangalore boosts of the highest ratio of teaching faculty to students being 1:8. Hence there is immense exposure to different people from different backgrounds who come to teach us. We have guest lectures in a few subjects on a regular basis from prominent personalities in the corporate world.